Ron had ended up in Gryffindor, Neville in Hufflepuff to the surprise of many, Draco joined the Slytherin just as how he wanted it and Hermione cheerfully join the Ravenclaw. Harry had a hard time getting the Sorting Hat on his head due to the latter struggling to stay off his head. When forced however, he merely shouted Slytherin just to stay away from Harry, not even getting close to the boy and announced it while he still managed to swing away from the boy.

The sight caused quite the confusion and laughter through the Great Hall having never seen the Hat being so stubborn before. By the end of the feast, which Albus started with four words; 'nitwit, blubber, oddment, and tweak'. Harry was the only one snickering at the mention since he had bluntly described the Houses of Hogwarts as that to the debating teachers just the summer before. His exact words were; "I'll have to be a nitwit to join Gryffindor," "People made Hufflepuff sounds like they always blubber around though they don't, really," "I bet many Ravenclaw are oddment since all smart Alec are, like Albus and Einstein!" "Slytherin like tweaking people and stuff, don't they?"

Draco moaned as he fell on his bed, "Ah! I'm so full!"

As for Harry, he was having a Parseltongue discussion with Jhormungard;

"Did you notice? The man with the turban,"

Jhormungard hissed back, "I did….the air tasted foul around him. I truly wish that you don't have to go to his class,"

"I know but there is little choice in the matter…hmm…I hope we won't get ourselves caught in whatever game Albus has planned,"

"You meant the third floor?"

Harry nodded, "Anyone with half a mind can tell that it's a trap. Someone has infiltrated the castle and alerted Albus more…shall we say 'playful' side?" He yawned, "I should go to bed. Goodnight Draco,"

The next day Harry woke up earliest and decided that he should get himself acquainted with Hogwarts less he be late for his first class, so he dragged Draco out of bed, much to the blonde's dismay. But he soon learned that once Harry has set his mind on something, he will not be deterred. Thus yawning wide, Draco found himself being dragged to the Great Hall for breakfast and bumped into Severus on the way. Harry cheerfully greeted the professor, "Morning Prof Snape!"

Severus doesn't seem surprised by Harry's early bird routine at all, almost expecting it even. What he didn't foresee was the victim that Harry snagged from their warm bed, Draco Malfoy who was having a hard time staying awake and slowly drifting back to sleep on his feet. Ignoring that he was practically dragging a half-zombie Draco to breakfast where the boy proceeded to face plant fast asleep at his table, barely missing the bowl of oats by his head.

Albus cheerfully greeted them though Severus noted the panda eyes that the Headmaster was sporting with a mumbling Minerva sitting beside him, most probably having just lost yet another debate with Albus. It was her every morning routine since Albus was a self-forced insomniac.

There were times every year where the staffs joined forces to hide the Headmaster's version of steroids to force the senile old wizard to bed and that was juggling his collection of lemon drops between each other every time the Headmaster come too close to discovering the hide out. Lucky for them, Hogwarts was a place with many surprise corners meaning an inexhaustible number hiding spots.

It was a challenge every year for the staff…

Even the ever loyal Hagrid joined the 'tournament'…

Harry managed to drag Draco to their first class and force fed a waffle that he snagged from the table as they ran. It seemed that this summer the blond boy had made it a habit to wake much later than ten to eleven. Luckily they reached there and the last person to arrive was Ron, much to the red head chagrin.

By lunch, Draco was fully awake as was proven by his constant bicker with Ron while Harry has his nose deep in a text of Algorithm on Ancient Runes and Its Connection to Arithmancy. Hermione joined them during break with Neville in tow and was eyeing Harry's book with great envy. When asked where he found the book, Harry answered, "Albus gave it to me on my tenth birthday last year,"

Neville gaped, "You knew the Headmaster before?"

Harry nodded, "I live close to Prof Snape and Albus loves visiting,"

Hermione frowned, "You shouldn't call him so familiarly in school you know. People will get suspicious especially with him being so important and all,"

Harry nodded, "I'll keep that in mind,"

Ron blanched, "Wait, you are neighbour with the greasy git?"

Harry frowned, "Who?"

Ron scoffed, "Snape of course!"

"And how does 'greasy git' relate to him?"

Neville answered, "Well, he was only nice to the Slytherin and was downright mean to us outside Slytherin,"

Harry turned to look at the others and even Hermione with her stiff trust and respect in authority did not object. Draco sniffed, "Well, he is our Head of House. It is only right that he favours us,"

Harry shook his head, "Unity is important Draco,"

Draco scowled, "Why should I lower myself to the level of Blood Traitors and Mudbloods?" With a haughty scoff, he walked off to join other Slytherin. Harry noticed how Neville turned white and Ron grew red with rage while Hermione looked shocked and at bridge of crying.

Ron growled, "Git!"

Neville turn to Hermione with a frown, "Ignore him Hermione,"

She sniffed, "But-but I thought we were friends!" With a sob, she tore away from them and disappeared. Harry looked at the other, knowing just what Draco had said to Hermione and knew that it was uncalled for. He sighed, "I'll talk to him,"

Ron shook his head, "All Malfoys are like that since the time of his great-grandfather! There's no point in talking to him!" With a huff, he went to his table. Neville sighed, "I guess we really can't be friends then…"

As he too left the table, Harry sat there alone. He scowled, wondering just what was it that was clawing hotly at his chest. As the day grew old, he still found his face set in a seemingly permanent scowl. With a growl that sound downright predator, he stalk his way to Severus's quarter. When the door open, Harry grumbled, "They're being foolish!"

Severus stepped aside to let him in, "And who are they?"

Harry paced the living room, "Blood Traitor, Mudblood, blood purity and all! HA! Foolishness!" As he grumbled, his hair floated like disturbed mist or a ghostly halo around his head. His normally mirthful eyes that have taken to twinkle like Albus, much to Severus and the others dismay, gave sparks of anger. Noticing how the carpet has started to freeze over with frostbite, Severus cleared his throat, "Hot chocolate?" That always seemed to calm the boy down.

After two large mugs, Harry relented with a tired sigh, "I am friends with idiots…"

Severus huffed, "You are attempting in area that all others have proven futile for the last one thousand years since Salazar Slytherin left,"

Harry glared at him, his normally white sclera darkening, "And your behaviour does not improve the image of Slytherin at all, you know?"

Jhormungard, who had been quiet during his rampage, hissed with agreement. Severus rubbed his face before deciding that Harry need to know why. It does not bode well for Severus to make an enemy out of someone guarded by a Sentient Shadow, especially when the child managed to wriggle his way into his heart. He opened the tight cuff of his sleeve and rolled it up to reveal his greatest shame; the Dark Mark. Harry stared at it…

He then gave his verdict as blunt as always, "Well, that does explain your apparent disgust toward those not related to Slytherin…but he's gone, isn't he? Harry Potter killed him," For some reason, even after the ancestry potion, Harry had never seen himself as a Potter and preferred to remain as a Grossmann. Thus he related to Harry Potter distantly, as if the boy was someone he distantly knew but not familiar with.

Severus shook his head, "If he's truly dead, the mark would have gone. My skin….it will be blank…"

Harry nodded, taking a sip from his third mug of cooling hot chocolate, "So is that why Albus made up that elaborate trap?"

Severus scowled before sighing, "Should have trusted your deduction skills…yes, it is a trap. All the main staff contributed in its construction,"

Harry nodded, "Okay…what was the bait?"

Severus smiled wryly, "Ask Mr Flamel,"

Harry's eyes widened, "He's after the stone then?"

Severus didn't react with any reply but let the conversation slide, "So…what are you going to do with that fall out between your friends?" Severus noticed them crowding around Harry earlier during lunch before breaking up. From the boy's reaction, Harry had considered each and every one of them as his friends and from Severus own experience, Harry took his friendship seriously. The boy won't sit still on the side if he can do something about it.

Harry grinned, "Tell me about this pureblood bigotry's history…"